The name of the town has been spelt in various ways through the ages from ‘Hamelsham’ (as it was referred to in the Domesday Book), "Aylesham" in the 13th century, and later Haylesham, to its present spelling.

The manor of Hailsham is recorded in the Domesday Survey completed by the Normans in 1086, 20 years after the conquest, when there were just four households, as well as ploughing land and salt houses.

[citation needed] During the 17th century civil war between Charles I and Parliament, Hailsham and this part of Sussex declared against the royalist cause.

Little is known of the town of Hailsham before the 1086 Domesday Book, but evidence of a Roman road from Leap Cross across the Common indicates some occupation prior to this.

Glimpses of the town's past are to be found in photographs and artefacts available for viewing at the Heritage Centre in Blackman's Yard, Market Street, which is run by members of the Hailsham Historical and Natural History Society.

A small display is available to members of the public including period kitchen, farming and agriculture, local industry and wartime memorabilia.

It runs on the west side of the A22 in a northerly direction between Hailsham and the River Cuckmere to Hempstead, where it turns east to meet the A22.

On an irregular course eastwards, sometimes following the A271 and sometimes to the north of it, until Amberstone where it completes its delineation by a final straight mile along the line of the road to Carter's Corner Place.

In the county of East Sussex, about 6 miles (10 km) from the coast, and between the well-wooded hills of the southern Forest Ridge and the undulating chalk countryside of the South Downs, Hailsham is surrounded by "much attractive and unspoilt scenery".

[17] The next level of government is the East Sussex County Council with responsibility for Education, Libraries, Social Services, Civil Registration, Trading Standards and Transport.

Former MP's include former Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Charles Hendry (2001-2015) and Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (1965-2001.)

[25] Currently, light industry survives in two large industrial estates to the west of the town, located in Diplocks Way and Station Road, and several smaller ones including those situated in Hackhurst Lane (Lower Dicker) and north of Old Swan Lane, all of which provide a source of employment for local residents.

The Quintins development, near the Vicarage Field precinct, was opened in the late 1980s, creating a focus for shopping in Hailsham.

[29] Hailsham Forward's key actions for the next five years include a pedestrian-friendly High Street, parking time restrictions, the creation of loading bays in the town centre, traffic wardens, a review of business rates and shop rents, improvements to shop frontages and signage, and the attraction and retention of a broader diversity of retail outlets (independent national/chain) to fill empty retail units in the town centre.

The Hailsham & Hellingly Masterplan,[32] submitted to Wealden District Council as supplementary planning guidance in 2009, planned a holistic approach to the town's infrastructure: roads; sewerage and drainage; transport; retail; employment land; housing; healthcare; education and training; leisure, recreation and the arts.

In literature, the novel Never Let Me Go uses the fictional Hailsham school as a background, although filming for the screen adaptation was done at Ham House, Surrey.

Cuckmere Buses, an independent charity run by volunteers, provides supplementary bus links into Hailsham to and from neighbouring villages.

[citation needed] Hailsham used to have a railway station on the Cuckoo Line, running from Polegate to Tunbridge Wells.

The track was retained with a weekly freight service until April 1968, when a bridge at nearby hamlet Horsebridge was damaged by a road vehicle.

Currently, it is distributed direct to homes and businesses across Hailsham and the surrounding villages as well at via collection points.

[citation needed] As part of the planning requirements for the Welbury and Woodholm Farm development, an additional community sports hall has been constructed in north Hailsham.

The James West Community Centre was named after the founder and Chairman of the Hailsham & District Sports Alliance, who died in November 2016.

The average attendance of 3,000+ people descend upon the town centre to witness the event, organised by the Hailsham Bonfire Society.

Hailsham Pavilion was originally opened as a cinema on 28 November 1921 by local Justice A. K. Burtenshaw JP, with The Kid starring and directed by Charlie Chaplin as the first picture.

The whole-day event was originally scheduled for 8 May 2020 to coincide with the VE Day celebrations but the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns prevented it.

It is home to a group of amateur dramatic players, Hailsham Theatres, whose musical and drama performances have been presented since the early 1930s.

[50] The upper left of these shows the six gold martlets and crown of the armorial bearings of the County of East Sussex.

The upper right shows a sheaf of corn, crook and rake, to illustrate the agricultural and rural connections from which Hailsham derived its status as a market town.

Finally, the lower left quadrant depicts a ball of twine and rope "dolly", representing Hailsham's entry into light industry, in the form of ropemaking, which supported factories and "ropewalks" within the town's boundaries.

[55] The Twinning Charter was signed in Hailsham in October 2000 and in Gournay-en-Bray in February 2001, and renewed in both towns on the tenth anniversary.